Surface condenser



H. N. EHRHABT. SURFACE CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I, 1918.

, Patented Sept. 21,

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TTORNEY-T n RAYMOND N. EHRHART, or EDGEWOOD, PEN'INSYLVANIA.

SURFACE CONDENSER.

Application filed August 21, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, RAYMOND N. Erinnan'r, a citizen of the United'States, and a resident of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in SurfaceCondensers, of which V the following is a specification. i I

This invention relates to surface condensers and has for anobject toproduce a condenser which is well adapted to be constructed inrelatively large sizes and one which isas effective and efiicient andproportionally as cheap to manufacture as small size surface condensers,

The pressure variation, or as it is termed, the loss in vacuum withinthe shell of a small size surface condenser, for example, acondenser'havingadiameter of not more than 30 inches, is so small thatit is negligible. This, however, is not the case with large condensershaving shell diameters of ten or twelve feet. In such condensers the patmeans, such as adequate steam lanes or rela tively-Wide tube spacing,are employed to facilitate a quick dissemination of the large volume ofsteam throughout the nest of tubes there will be an appreciable lcss inthe vacuum in the vicinity of the steam inlet of the condenser, or inother words, there will be an appreciable difference in pressure betweenthe point of complete condensation Within the nest of tubes and thepointof admission of steam to the nest of tubes. In

' my Patent No. 1,142,784 of June 8, 1915, I

have illustrated a condenser which overcomes the above noteddifiiculties. This condenser may be termed a radial flow con-. denser,since the steam to be condensed is delivered to asubstantiallycylindrical nest of tubes approximately around the entire perimeter ofthe nest and flows inwardly along paths which converge toward an airofitake port located within the nest of tubes. In some condenserinstallations the available space for the condenser is limited, conse-'quently it is necessary to provide as much condensing surface within thelimited space as can efi'ectively be employed. Power house conditionsare ordinarily such that where the available space for a condenser is ofsteam flow are long and unless- Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd S t 21"1920 Serial No. 250,906.

limited, a rectangular rather than a cylindrical condenser morecompletely fills the available space and consequently provides morespace in which condensing surface may be located.

An object of this invention is to produce a rectangular condenser welladapted to be constructed in relatively large sizes and which is moreefiicient and cheaper to build, per unit of condensing capacity, thanother large size rectangular condensers known to A further object is toproduce a con- .denser having a relatively deep nest of tubes in whichthe condensing surface is so disposed, with relation to the paths ofsteam flow through the nest of tubes, that the vacuum existing at thesteam inlet to the condenser is substantially the same as the vacuum atthe point of complete condensation within the nest of tubes.

A further object is to produce such a con denser in which the coolingtubes are so disposed with relation to the paths of steam flow that thearea of the condensing surface is reduced substantially in directproportion to the condensation taking place along the paths of steamflow.

A further object is to produce such a condenser in which means areemployed for insuring the delivery of relatively hot condensate.

These and other objects are attained by means of a condenser embodyingthe features herein described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which the single figure is a diagrammatic transversesectional view of a condenser embodying my invention. 1

In a cc-pending application, filed August 21, 1918, and seriallynumbered 250,901, I have illustrated a substantially rectangularcondenser in which the steam to be condensed is admitted tosubstantially two sides of a nest of tubes andin which the paths ofsteam .flow through the nest converge toward an air ofi'take with whichthe condenser is provided. The present invention to some extent embodiesthe features and principle set forth in said application and thecondenser illustrated is provided with a plulahty of nests of tubes,-each nest shell 1, which is provided with a steam inlet port 2, acondensate discharge port 3, and two air ornoncondensable fluid otftakeports 4 and 4'. The cooling tubes extend.

longitudinally of the condenser as is usual ately adjacent to the inle]?tom of the condenser. T

and are mounted in the usual tube plates. Cooling water may becirculated through the tubes in any desired manner. As shown,

.the tubes are divided into two nests or groups A and B, which areseparated by a vertically disposed steam laneor passage 6 extending fromone end of the condenser to the other. As shown, the passage 6 extendsdown from the steam space immedi- -'port to the bot- .e passage 6 is inopen and free communication with thesteam space above the tubes andconsequently delivers steam to the o positely disposed groups of tubes Aand. As shown, this passage gradually decreases in area from the steamspace above the tubes toward the bottom of the condenser. This isaccomplished in the apparatus illustrated by so arranging each group ornest of tubes that it gradually increases in width from the top to thebottom of the condenser. With the arrangement of tubes illustrated eachnest receives steam at two faces'and the admission area is thereforegreatly increased and the length of the paths of steam flow are greatlydecreased, relatively to the admission space, over what would beencountered in a rectangular condenser having the usual arrangement oftubes.

rectly with that portion of the nest located farthest from the steamadmission faces of the nest and, in the present embodiment, the port 4is shown formed in the lower left hand corner of the condenser shell andserves the nest A, whereas the port 4 is formed in the lower right handcorner of the shell and serves the nest B. It .will, of course, beunderstood that the location or the ports 4 andfl are not essential-solong as an air offtake is provided for each nest of tubes at or near thepoint of convergence s shown, the air ofi'take port of each nestcommunicates didensate discharging intothe well and the condensatewithin the well is exposed to uncondensed steam delivered from thepassage 6 and consequently is heated by the steam to a temperature equalto or possibly above that corresponding to the vacuum maintained withinthe condenser. I

Under some conditions, itmay be desirable to employ a baflie in'eachnest of tubes which. extends longitudinally of the condenser between thetube plates and is so arranged as to divide the nest into two banks, ineach of which the paths of steam flow converge from the steam admissionspace of the bank to the 'airoii'take of the nest. In the drawings Ihave shown each nest provided with a baflie 8 which extendslongitudinally of the condenser, forms a reinforcing strut between theend or tube plates and divides the nest into two substantiallytriangular banks of tubes, both of which are served by the same airofi'take. It will be noted that each baffle in effect forms a rain platefor the bank of tubes located below it and that it delivers thecondensate dropping from the tubes of the upper bank directly to thebottom of the condenser but in a path across the air ofi'take passage ofthe lower bank. It will be apparent that with the arrangement of tubesillustrated the admission area to the cooling surface of the condenseris materially increased, the paths of steam flow converge toward the airotltake ports and are relatively short as compared to the area of theadmission space. As a result the condensing surface is reduced insubstantially direct proportion to the rate of condensation taking placealong the paths of steam flow and the velocity of steam flow ismaintained substantially constant throughout the condenser.

While I have described and illustrated but one embodiment of myinvention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications. changes, additions and omissions may be made in theapparatus described and illustrated without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention, as set forth by the appended claims.

that I claim is:

1. In comaination in a condenser. a shell having an inlet port, acondensate dhcharge port and two non-condensable fluid ofi'take ports,two nests of tubes located on opposite sides of the shell and eachserved by one of aeaacet densate discharge port formed in the bottomthereof, twoseparate nests of cooling tubes so located within the shellas to provide a wedge shaped central passage which is located betweenthe nests and communi' eating Withthe inlet and discharge ports of thecondenser, and a separate batlie extend ing longitudinally of each nestand dividing the nest into two substantially triangular banks of tubesboth a single noncondensable fluid oiitalre which the condenser isprovided.

3. In combination in a condenser, a substantially rectangular shellprovided with a fluid inlet port, two nests of tubes so located withinthe shell as to provide a longitudiof which are served by with nallyextending steam space which commu- .nicates with the inlet port and witha condensate discharge port .with which the condenser is provided, aseparate longitudinally extending reinforcing battle dividing each nestinto two substantially triangular groups of tubes, both groups of eachnest being served by a noncondensable fluid oi? take with which thecondenser is provided.

4. In a. condenser, a substantially rectangular condenser shell, openat'its top to re ceive condensable fluid, a condensate outlet adjacentthe bottom of the shell, a polyg onal group of cooling tubes arranged oneach side of the shell, so as to expose the a top and a side of eachgroup to condensable fluid'entering the top of the condenser shellthrough which entrance faces of each group fluid may pass into thegroup, outlets for noncondensable fluid adjacent the lower corners ofthe shell and a separate baflie for each groupextending downwardly fromthe steam admission corner of the group diagonally through the group andterminating near the outlet adjacent the lower corner of the shell. I a

5. In combination in a'condense'r, a shell provided with a steaminlet, acondensate discharge. and two air oiitake ports, two nests of tubes solocated within theshell as to provide a steam space between the nestsextending from the steam inlet port toward the opposite side of theshell and battles dividing each angular groups, said air oiitake portsbeing so located that each serves the tubes located on one side ofsaidsteam space.

6. In combination in a condenser, a shell provided with a steam inletlocated in one side thereof, a condensate discharge located opposite theinlet, and two oppositely located air oiitake ports, two nests of tubesso located within the shell as to, provide a steam space between thenests extending from the steam inlet toward the condensate discharge,and bafllcs dividing each nest into two substantially triangular groups,said air oli'take ports being so located as to serve tubes on oppositesides of said space.

' In a condenser, an open-top condenser shellhaving a condensate openingat the bottom thereof, two .nests of tubes in the shell having facesconverging from the top to the bottom and other faces disposedtransversely of the shell, and noncondensable fluid ofi-take openingsfor tubes.

8. In a condenser, a substantially rectangust, 1918. I RAYMON D N.EI-IRHART;

nest into two substantially tri-- each nest of faces converging

